Utility wagons have been employed in various industries; however, they have particular applicability to the field of agriculture, and have become an indispensible adjunct to any successful farming operation. Most of the wagons utilized have a large bin or dump box mounted on a wheeled framework and a closure member operatively connected to the bottom or sides of the bin to dump the contents of the bin through the force of gravity. The closure members are normally of the clam-shell variety and dispense the contents of the bin in response to the mechanical, electrical, or hydraulic actuation of the closure members. Examples of such devices may be seen by reference to U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,018,209; 2,077,534; 2,401,407; 2,991,730; and 3,910,635.
There has been a long felt need particularly on large cattle feeder installations for a rugged year-round utility wagon which is adapted to haul silage, corn, manure, gravel dirt, etc., and which provides a dependable, easily controlled, closure actuating mechanism which does not sacrifice stability to provide ample opening clearance for the closure members. Normally, the clearance problem is associated with the pivoted or clam-shell variety closure members, and requires that the bottom of the dump box is positioned a suitable distance above the ground to allow the closure member unobstructed pivoted movement beneath the bin to prevent engagement with the ground. Many wagons in use today have a limited bin capacity due to the height restriction imposed on the wagon by virtue of the elevated position of the bin with respect to the support framework. This height restriction is particularly significant when the wagon is traversing the side of a hill or on uneven terrain and becomes unstable due to the location of the center of gravity with respect to the base.